Swan or ugly duckling?

For the blogger, not much to write about but for the loyal fan maybe no news is good news but is the lack of activity on the surface a sign that City are not going to be making significant progress or are the Cowley webbed feet thrashing furiously under the surface?

Firstly what we do know and it’s all good news. It’s a bit old now but Luke Waterfall and Callum Howe have signed extensions to their contracts, which is very positive but the big story of the close season is the season ticket sales which at 5050 for a club so recently in the doldrums is remarkable and might well put them at the top of the tree as regards season long committed support. So the fans have matched the ambition of the managers and board of directors. It’s such a pleasant change to be commenting on this harmony of outlook and, as far as I’m concerned sends a message to the managers particularly that the fans are behind them.

Of course that’s not the end of the story as there are a sizeable number of junior red Imps joining us each home game and away support will be much greater so maybe we’re looking at six, six and a half thousand average from a standing start. Personally, after averaging five thousand last season I’d be disappointed with that if it ended at that level and we’d had a decent season.

I don’t believe it will for the simple reason that the average gate is going to start off in the five or six thousands and it started at a much lower level last year. I think we’ll start to see some transfer activity come July, seeing as the football league contracts don’t end till June 30 and, if there’s inspiring news as I hope there may be we could sell a few more and there does come a point and we’re not all that far off it when spaces become at a bit of a premium and people may decide, albeit at a late stage to get a season ticket rather than miss out.

It’s worth pointing out that provision in the Stacey West Stand will have to be allowed for where a club may bring a large support and there are several of those games coming up so the club, presumably has a limit as to how many season tickets are allowed and the Stacey West situation brings the number of spaces down for home fans to something like 8200 which sounds a lot but bearing in mind the gates at the end of last season and the number of tickets allocated already, not counting complimentary tickets and other considerations the club will have to tread carefully.

Who’d have thought that would be a problem for the board to consider as they peer down from (for us) the mountain of cash they’re sitting on. I do hope you’re savouring every moment as it’s a once in a lifetime scenario for us all and unlikely to occur again.